Light in the Shadows
by stormchild
Summary: Two years ago, Kari disappeared. Now the Digidestined have received word from Gennai. Can Tai and the others save Kari? Chapter Four is up! I upped the rating for a few fairly disturbing scenes. ^^;
1. Missing You

Disclaimer: Digimon belongs to Toei, Fox Kids, etc Amy Normal Amy 1 2 2001-11-07T11:23:00Z 2001-11-07T11:25:00Z 4 1072 6116 Home 50 12 7510 9.2720 

**_Disclaimer:_**_ Digimon belongs to Toei, Fox Kids, etc., not me._

**Light in the Shadows**

**By stormchild**

**Chapter One: Missing You**

Tai screamed.  
  
Kari reached out a trembling hand towards him, struggling to free herself of the slimy grips of the Divermon. Beady eyes leered at him, mocking his inability to help his sister, and a strangled scream ripped from his soul again. But he couldn't move.  
  
"Tai!" she cried, her voice raw with terror. "Help me!" He studied her mutely, noticing tiny details as if they were of great importance. Her brown eyes were wide with pain and fear, her hair spilling free of the pink barrette she was so fond of. He had bought that for her eleventh birthday.  
  
_MOVE!_ he shouted furiously, internally. _MOVE!_ But his feet stood firmly planted to the ground. Tai couldn't even groan with his rage and frustration. All there was to do was watch as Kari was carried out of his life and into the darkness forever. The last things to disappear were her eyes, fearfully asking, _Why? Why didn't you help me?_  
  
An emptiness invaded him, swallowed him, and he dropped to his knees, finally able to move. And it was too late. Too LATE!  
  
"Tai...!"  
  
The last scraps of Kari's horrified yelling echoed in his brain, over and over, incessantly, and he hunched over trying to block it out. "No," he whimpered. "No..."  
  
"Tai...!"  
  
*****  
  
"NO!" Tai gasped, sitting upright. It took a moment for his confusion to clear, then he slowed his panting, lying back down and staring at the ceiling in his night-darkened room. A dream. That was all.  
  
He frowned, noticing for the first time his sweat-soaked pajamas, and sighed. He must have had the nightmare a hundred times by now, and still it evoked so much pain inside of him. Was it normal? Even two years later, was it normal for the memory to be so vivid, for the hole inside to still gape wide? Was he losing it?  
  
He certainly did feel as if he was losing touch with reality lately. The whole world seemed less and less real every day.  
  
Tai tried to form a rock-solid wall of determination like the old days. Kari was still alive, and she would be found. Yes...  
  
No. The rock crumbled and Tai squinched his eyes shut. He wasn't that old self anymore, not by a long shot. He had overheard a whispered conversation between his parents; his mother had described him as a shadow of what he used to be. He supposed that was accurate, not that he really cared.  
  
He threw off his covers, trying to cool down. Beads of sweat still formed on his upper lip, and his hair was one big wet mass. Let's see... how many nights in a row had he woken up like this? He'd lost count. Kari invaded his thoughts, waking or otherwise.  
  
She was still out there.  
  
Despite his pessimism, he knew this much. He could feel it in his bones. She might be hurt, beaten, half-dead, and he didn't know, but he did know she was alive.  
  
Tai groaned and sat up, idly fanning his face. The glow of his digital clock announced the time, 2:47 am. He had no hopes of going to sleep again, not if he didn't want to relive that day. Yep, he was going to be tired. No big deal though. He was always tired lately...  
  
*****  
  
TK smiled his practiced smile at his mother. A precise, measured smile, that didn't reach his eyes. Nancy Takaishi didn't realize this, though, and gave him an absent grin in return. "I'll see you after school, honey," she said.  
  
Her golden-haired son nodded quietly and left the apartment, door clicking shut behind him. Upon meeting with Yolei and Cody in the elevator, he greeted them with the same emotionless smile. They grinned uneasily, covering it up with false cheer.  
  
TK blinked and kicked himself inwardly, scolding himself. Do a better job, he thought. They can tell you're not same, good ol' TK anymore... somehow.  
  
Upon reaching the schoolyard, an exuberant Davis jogged up to the group, still looking decidedly uncomfortable in his high school uniform. His hair was even more wild than usual, having no goggles to tame it. "Hey Yolei, Cody, TA!" He hesitated a bit at the last one.  
  
Suddenly TK didn't care anymore. He was, after all, not much more than an empty husk. What was the point in going on? Life just snatched your loved ones away when you expected it least, and he figured it would happen to him soon, too. So why bother? Why bother with anything?  
  
He wandered away from the others, earning bewildered looks, which he ignored. He was meant to be alone, or something.  
  
Alone.  
  
Kari...  
  
*****  
  
Davis studied the blonde boy's retreating back with a frown. He was still upset about Kari, wasn't he?  
  
Everyone had been upset, of course. But Tai and TK seemed to be the ones affected most deeply-- two years later, and still they were drowning in their own sorrow.  
  
Davis had scorned this for awhile--he thought they were being weak, letting it get to them. But he had eventually come to realize exactly how deeply they felt about Kari. Both had a bond with her that was unbreakable, or so they had thought.  
  
Inevitably, Davis' thoughts drifted towards his own feelings for Kari. He could remember a time when he thought he loved her, was absolutely crazy about her. He snorted. More like infatuated. Yeah, he'd matured in the last couple of years...  
  
But that didn't stop him from still feeling a pang at the thought of her, smiling and carefree. And now she was gone, probably dead.  
  
They had searched, oh, lord, how they had searched. Tai particularly had wanted to go on, even when he hadn't slept for two days. He forced them to turn the Digiworld upside down in their hunt, and no one really objected. He had been just so... ferocious.  
  
They had never found her, of course. TK mentioned something about a beach a few times, and a look of bitter understanding had come across Ken's face, but whatever it was, they never followed through with the idea. TK had said they couldn't get there, anyway.  
  
And here they were, fallen back into a comfortable life without Kari. Except for the two boys. Davis watched as TK plopped onto a bench. He looked at Davis, blue eyes looking as if they were on the verge of crying, but they didn't. He just...stared.  
  
*****  
  
Izzy raced to the computer room, nearly slipping when he rounded the corner, ignoring his aching limbs. It was a good thing they had all started meeting in the high school's computer room after class. He collapsed into a chair, panting, but waved away the other Digidestined's worried looks. "I... ran... from... the other... side... of the school," he explained. "I just received an e-mail. From Gennai."  
  
The group, which included everyone except Mimi, exploded into surprised chatter, and Izzy had to shush them. "Watch." He flipped open his laptop, and with a few clicks of the mouse, Gennai's face appeared onscreen. Well, sort of. It was fuzzy and disjointed, blurring out at times.  
  
"Kids... Digiworld... Kari... captured... hurry!" The screen went black, and silence lingered.  
  
Cody, who was turning into quite the handsome young man although he was still in elementary school, finally spoke in his quiet voice. "Does this mean there's a new enemy? And he has Kari?"  
  
Sora placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "It must."  
  
Matt nodded. "Well, then, we don't have any choice."  
  
Davis spoke up. "We'll have to go to the Digiworld."  
  
Tai, who had been silent--characteristic of his self these days--removed a pair of goggles from his pocket, pulling them onto his head. "Let's go get Kari."


	2. Revelations

Disclaimer: Digimon belongs to Toei, Fox Kids, etc Amy Normal Amy 2 2 2001-11-07T11:26:00Z 2001-11-07T11:42:00Z 2 1612 9194 Home 76 18 11290 9.2720 

**_Disclaimer:_**_ Digimon belongs to Toei, Fox Kids, etc., not me._

**Light in the Shadows**

**By stormchild**

**Chapter Two: Revelations**

Gatomon crouched warily in the shadows of a tree, watching Kari's lithe form. Her human friend sighed contentedly and leaned against the trunk, casting a gaze at the little cat Digimon before turning back to the beautiful sight of the sunset over the mountains of the Digiworld. "It's all mine," she murmured with satisfaction.  
  
Gatomon frowned, then stepped forward to stand beside Kari. "Hey... Kari..." She hesitated, trying to form what she wanted to say. "The old days, with Myotismon... they weren't exactly a picnic. But... you're my partner and my friend, so... so I support you no matter what you choose to do."  
  
Kari smiled--it was more of a smirk, actually--and squatted down to pat her. "You're a good friend, Gatomon." Her face twisted for a second in furious remembrance, but the look faded as quickly as it had appeared. "A good friend."  
  
Gatomon sighed and leaned into Kari's hand, feeling regret for a reason she didn't quite understand. Kari had been this way for years now, ever since she had emerged into the Digiworld from that strange dark one. It wasn't right, it wasn't Kari, her sweet and loving friend, but something inside of Gatomon enjoyed it. It made her feel powerful. Maybe some of the evil was leaking from her partner. Or maybe she was just meant to be an evil Digimon in the first place... fate did seem to enjoy tossing her about.  
  
All she knew is that she felt more loyalty to Kari than to anyone, including the Digidestined. There was something deep and almost spiritual between the two, and it was that for which Gatomon lived, even.  
  
She glanced up and Kari, still scratching behind Gatomon's ears absently, and sighed. The former chosen child was staring out over the landscape with a look that reminded her of Myotismon. Gatomon looked away, afraid to see what Kari was becoming. Oh, well... maybe it was destiny.  
  
*****  
  
Gennai's breath didn't come easily, and when it did it was laboured, hoarse, and wheezing. His squat little body felt like it was a mass of bruises, and pain assaulted his head at the slightest provocation. He curled up on the dank stone floor, wondering what time it was, what day. But he still had something to cling onto. Hope. Hope that the children from the other world had received his message.  
  
He recited in his mind, as if just saying it would draw the children to him. "Kids, you must come to the Digiworld. Kari has taken over and has captured me. You must come. Hurry!"  
  
He had whispered the message over the crude communications equipment he'd managed to gather when he was treated more like a guest than a prisoner. But when Kari had discovered his actions... Gennai shuddered and coughed, pain arcing through his chest. They had to come soon. They had to.  
  
Because sometimes, the only thing you can count on is hope.  
  
*****  
  
"Oh my gosh..."  
  
The whispered comment from Yolei was the only thing intruding the silence upon the Digidestined's entrance to the other world. Cody moved closer to her, and she hugged him tightly, a protective gesture left over from when he was still a young child.  
  
The sight before them was one Yolei couldn't have imagined in her wildest nightmares. Blood... She swallowed. Digimon didn't have blood.  
  
TK expressionlessly knelt beside a well-decayed body of what was once a young boy, no older than Cody. The blonde boy flipped it over, and gave a strangled gasp, the most emotion she'd seen out of him for a long time. He stood grimly and turned back towards the others, holding up a Digivice Yolei didn't recognize.  
  
"He was a Digidestined," Matt said softly. "From another part of the world." There was a mixed array of reactions.  
  
Joe glanced around at the others, then quietly said, "What about the ones we met? Catherine, and Yuri, and Rosa, and all those others..."  
  
"They could be dead," Matt replied gruffly. "Probably are. Look at the carnage here. Hundreds of people must have died here."  
  
Tai had turned delicately pale, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "Kari... what if the same thing...?"  
  
"We can't think like this," Sora announced firmly. "Positivity is the key. If we believe, we can do this. We'll save the Digiworld from... this... monster!"  
  
The others murmured half-hearted agreements. Yolei nodded inwardly. Yeah, they had to stop this, before more people got hurt. And of course they could do it. They were the Digidestined. "Let's go, guys," she said, forcing herself to sound bright. "We're gonna win this."  
  
"Go where?" Joe asked bleakly. "We don't know who this enemy is, or where to find him. We don't know anything."  
  
The group fell silent, mulling over the problem. Mostly, at least. Some just gazed around helplessly at the bodies that littered the small clearing. Yolei tried to focus, to help out, but her eyes kept straying to the blood, the twisted limbs, and the sickly sweet smell of death...  
  
This new opponent was ruthless... and absolutely heartless... Yolei tried not to think of what he might be doing to sweet, loving Kari.  
  
No, Yolei, focus. You can't go all helpless in this situation. Okay, so the outlook's not so great, but it'll be worse if you turn into a useless, crying baby. You can do this.  
  
So she did focus, at least more, but every so often she would glance at a body, and hug Cody closer, and have to psyche herself up again.  
  
*****  
  
Kari stared, uncomprehending, at the video screen in front of her. "No!" she shrieked finally. "No! You can't be here! You CAN'T!"  
  
Gatomon approached her worriedly, but Kari ignored her, and huddled over, shaking. "They can't be here," she whimpered. "They'll ruin it all. All of it, and I'll have nothing."  
  
"Who, Kari?" the kitty Digimon asked gently.  
  
The girl slowly regained her composure and unfurled herself, then held the mini screen out before Gatomon. "The others... the... Digidestined."  
  
Gatomon's eyes widened with understanding.  
  
"Why are they here?" Kari screeched, rage unfolding rapidly and enveloping her helplessness. "To save the Digital World? Well it's not going to happen, Gatomon! This world is mine, and it obeys me! ME!"  
  
Her Digimon crouched back slightly, cautiously. "Kari... I will stand by you."  
  
Kari's face relaxed into a smile, almost like the old days, except for the hint of a smirk. "Yes, Gatomon, I know you will." She held up the mini screen again, studying the Digidestined's varied reactions to the carnage she didn't really notice anymore. "And we have... advantages, too. I know their weaknesses and how to exploit them. Yes, yes, this will be no challenge at all." She chuckled to herself. "In fact, I might want to play with them for a bit, let them all destroy one another...I won't even have to get my hands dirty." She chuckled throatily again.  
  
*****  
  
"We should find our Digimon," Yolei spoke up finally.  
  
Izzy nodded in agreement. "Yes, that would be the most logical course of action at this point."  
  
Davis was worried, though. He hoped it didn't show. "Where could they be, though? What if they're hurt and we're too late?"  
  
"DAVISH!"  
  
The one in question screamed something unintelligible as a furry blue shape suddenly plummeted out of the sky and attached itself to his head. Davis leapt around yelling, batting at the...thing?  
  
Matt burst out laughing all of a sudden. "Davis," he gasped, "It's DemiVeemon!"  
  
Davis stopped in mid-leap, a sweat drop trailing down his face. DemiVeemon's upside down face peered down into his. "Davish!" he cried again joyfully, with that familiar slurred speech.  
  
Davis let out another yell, but this one happy, and as he plucked his friend off his head and hugged him, the other Digimon came parading out of the trees to their respectful partners.  
  
"Well... that wasn't as hard as I thought," Davis said sheepishly.  
  
"Biyomon," Sora asked quietly, but in a way that cut off all other conversation as well as a scream, "What has happened here?"  
  
The group turned to the pink bird Digimon, who drew back slightly into Sora's arms at the attention. "It's... it's horrible, Sora," she cried.  
  
"I know... I know it is."  
  
"Well..." Biyomon began hesitantly. "It all started about two years ago. First, the weather."  
  
Davis blinked than looked around. The... bodies... had distracted him from really noticing anything else, but for the first time he realized it was cold. Very cold. And although it was daytime, the sky was dim, clouds roiling fitfully overhead.  
  
"And then," Biyomon continued, "Digimon started disappearing. Around this time we all"--her gesture took in all the Digidestined Digimon--"went into hiding. Then... the fighting started. Human children and Digimon alike were brutally slaughtered. By what, we don't know. There are these strange, invisible... forces... that..." She drew a long, shuddering breath. "That just tear them apart. Our attacks aren't effective. We couldn't Digivolve. All we could do was hide, and watch." Her eyes were filled with pain. "Good friends we met, other Digidestined and their Digimon, are dead. And... and..."  
  
"And?" Sora prompted.  
  
"And... well... follow me."  
  
The pink bird led the group to the thick trees, stumbling over roots and getting slapped by branches. Davis' mouth tightened. There was a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach, one that threatened to overwhelm him if he wasn't careful.  
  
"Here," Biyomon called from the head, and they emerged into a clearing. Where Mimi's disfigured form lay.  
  
Davis's eyes widened and he heard various gasps and shrieks from the others. Joe, Sora and Yolei rushed forward together, to the body.  
  
The body of someone they knew and loved, the body of who was once a friend. Once. Now, just a body, blood-soaked and mangled. He watched, trembling, as Joe gently lifted her into a sitting position, as if she were still alive, just injured. Yolei sobbed loudly, then looked ashamed, while Sora tried to comfort her. And Joe just stared, shaking visibly even from the distance.  
  
"Mimi," Matt said quietly from behind Davis. "She..."  
  
TK strode up to the small group of mourners and looked at Mimi critically. "Yes," he muttered, "You always lose those who mean a lot to you. It's inevitable." Tai dropped to his hands and knees, no doubt hoping Kari hadn't suffered so needlessly.  
  
"Where's Palmon?" asked Sora quietly, still hugging a weeping Yolei.  
  
"Gone," Biyomon murmured. "She just... was reconfigured one day. That's how we figured out something must have happened to Mimi." She lowered her eyes. "Some of us wanted to give everyone proper burials... but there's just so many, and we can't stay out in the open. Plus... it would be too hard... too, too hard..." she trailed off, looking lost.  
  
Davis turned his face away from the others. Dead. Mimi was dead.  
  
*****  
  
Kari snickered from her precarious perch on a tree branch, still watching the others over her mini video screen. "Poor, sweet Mimi, never hurt a fly," she murmured with a small grin. "It's too bad, really."  
  
Gatomon watched the screen too, with a great deal less emotion. Killing, she was used to it. No big deal. Yeah, it was no problem for her. She was tough.


	3. Decisions

Disclaimer: Digimon belongs to Toei, Fox Kids, etc Amy Normal Amy 1 1 2001-11-07T13:06:00Z 2001-11-07T13:07:00Z 3 1090 6214 Home 51 12 7631 9.2720 

**_Disclaimer:_**_ Digimon belongs to Toei, Fox Kids, etc., not me._

**Light in the Shadows**

**By stormchild**

**Chapter Three: Decisions**

Ken felt sick to his stomach. He leaned back against a tree trunk, eyes closing, and swallowed, willing himself not to throw up. Wormmon shimmied up to his shoulder, murmuring comforting words. Ken didn't hear them.

"Mimi, Mimi, Mimi…" He opened his eyes, and then frowned. Joe was crying. Ken had never seen Joe cry before. A quick glance told him that most of the Digidestined were sobbing, actually. Even the Digimon, who had seen this before.

It felt strange, seeing them all lost in their own sorrow. Oddly, _he_ didn't feel like crying, or even particularly sad. Just… numb. And sick. He wondered if there was a reason for it. Perhaps it had something to do with his past as the Digimon Emperor. Or even… no. There was no use thinking about… that.

Yolei pulled away from Sora, calm now, and wiped her tear-stained face. She murmured something Ken couldn't hear at this distance, then her gaze fell upon Ken. Yolei bit her lip, hesitating, then crossed the distance towards him.

"Are you okay?" she asked once in earshot.

He blinked. Of all the people here, why was she asking him? He was the most composed of the group, aside from TK. "Yes, I… I'm fine."

She frowned and nodded uncertainly. "Okay. As long as you're sure."

Ken stared after her as she rejoined Joe and Sora, head cocked. She was a mystery, Yolei. A puzzle he couldn't quite solve. Intriguing…

He had always liked puzzles.

*****

The Digidestined sat in a large group, minus Joe, who was nearby, digging a grave. Most had stopped crying, and were now looking at nothing, with dull, wide eyes. Matt sighed and turned away from them, toward Gabumon. That was little better. The wolf-like Digimon looked almost as sullen and confused as the rest.

"What are we going to do?" he asked finally, not liking the hopeless note in his own voice. The others blinked and shook their heads as if startled out of sleep, then gazed at him silently. Matt blinked. He was to be leader, was he? Tai certainly seemed to have no desire to take over his old responsibilities. For a moment a wave of panic swept him, but he squelched it firmly. Leaders had to act confident and sure, especially when they weren't.

Matt glanced at the Digimon. "You guys know absolutely nothing about this new threat to the Digiworld, right?"

It was Tentomon who replied, in a quiet voice halfway to a whimper. It was odd to hear, out of him. "Not really. We know it's very powerful, unstoppable so far. It seems to have some sort of vendetta against Digidestined in particular."

Matt nodded thoughtfully. "Obviously…" he mumbled, trying to block out pictures of the dead littered over the land. "Um. This… thing. Do we know what exactly it is? Human, Digimon, something else…?"

"We don't know," the beetle Digimon replied.

"I… may be able to shed some light on that, at least," a new voice spoke up. The group turned to Ken in surprise. He blinked, then shrugged self-consciously. "Well, whoever it is has the ability to"—he glanced at Biyomon—"tear… people apart. As the Digimon Emperor, I studied every single type of Digimon, learned everything about them. There was no record of any with that sort of power. But…" He swallowed, gaze becoming shadowed. "I could do that."

A startled gasp rose from the group. Matt was among them.

"It was part of what happened, in that dark world. It became a part of me at the pool, where the evil first… bloomed… inside of me. I never used it, because I didn't like the idea of killing." He gave a bitter laugh. "Enslaving, yes, killing, no." Ken frowned and lapsed into silence, apparently absorbed in his own thoughts. Wormmon gave him a worried glance.

Matt nodded slowly. "So it sounds like a human, at least. Maybe."

Izzy, who had been quiet for some time, spoke up. "I think the most reasonable thing to do at this point is seek out Gennai. He sent the message, and obviously knows more than we do about what's going on."

"And how do you suppose we do that?" Matt asked.

"His house, of course. I still remember the location of the lake his home is located. The only question is whether or not he'll be there. The e-mail we received was very bad-quality, and the equipment he owns is much more advanced than that. But even if we don't find him, maybe we'll find a clue."

Matt grinned and leaned across the circle to clap Izzy on the shoulder. "Izzy, my man, you are a genius. Looks like our next stop is Gennai's house."

*****

Cody tried not to look at the bodies as the silent procession marched across the Digital World, lead by Izzy and Matt. It was near impossible, though—there were piles of the mutilated figures everywhere. He carried Armadillomon clutched closely to his chest, who seemed to be taking it even harder than Cody himself was. He could feel the tremors running through his Digimon's body. There was nothing he could do, though.

He fervently hoped Gennai could help. Whoever killed so many people, and so painfully, must be a monster. He frowned slightly, recalling a time he had thought the same about Oikawa, but this was different. Oikawa didn't brutally murder children.

Death had always frightened him, he realized as he stepped around a pale arm. His father, Oikawa, the Digimon during Ken's rule… They all affected him deeply, despite his grandfather's assurances that death was a natural thing. Not this way. Murder wasn't natural, and he knew he had to stop it. Somehow.

It was hard not to break down in this situation, though. These people were innocent! _Just look at them! This is… beyond evil._ He shuddered, and Armadillomon snuggled closer. "It's okay, Cody," he mumbled into the boy's shirt. "We're going to be okay."

He knew the words were meant to be reassuring, but they weren't. Yes, they probably _were_ going to be okay. They seemed to have the strangest luck for getting out of tough situations. The problem was that all these people weren't. It was too late for them.

Cody glanced towards a body and quickly fixed his eyes on Davis' back, who was walking ahead of him. What if Kari was among those bodies? He wasn't sure Tai or TK could take it. He wasn't even sure if he could take it. Kari had been a sweet girl, almost like a big sister to him.

He realized he was thinking of her in terms of 'had been' and sighed, berating himself inwardly. He had to be optimistic. Their group couldn't afford any more depression. Kari was out there, alive, and they were going to rescue her, if not these people who were already dead.

A sudden determination grew within Cody, and he raised his head defiantly. No one could get away with this. No one.

*****

Kari sat at the foot of her bed, attention focused on the large television in front of her. She tapped a finger absently against her chin. "Interesting," she murmured. "They were smart enough to figure out I must be human, but not a single one of them suspects it might be me." Her face contorted into a silent snarl as she studied Tai, her… former brother. Acting as though he was worried, when he had done nothing to stop her from being kidnapped.

Abruptly her mood changed, and a giggle exploded from her. "They're going to Gennai's house, the poor old fool. He could have been treated with respect and honor, and instead he chose to call them here. Much good that did him."

As she giggled helplessly, Gatomon poked her head around the door and wondered, not for the first time, if Kari was completely sane anymore.


	4. Grieving

**_Disclaimer:_**_ Digimon belongs to Toei, Fox Kids, etc., not me._

**Light in the Shadows**

**By stormchild**

**Chapter Four: Grieving**

TK followed the rest of his friends down the stairs of the mystical lake methodically, frowning. It had just occurred to him to wonder why he was here.

_I mean, it's not like any good can come from this. Kari is dead, and we're probably going to die here as well_.

That was it, he realized. The dying. Once he was dead, there would be nothing to eat away at him and make him miserable. Once he was dead, the living nightmare could finally finish.

He glanced at Patamon, flapping alongside him. TK had initially thought his Digimon would be surprised and saddened at the change in him, but instead Patamon seemed to accept it without question, and even act in the same way. Oh, well. This made it easier, not having to deal with his curiosity.

Nearly bumping into Ken, TK gave a start as he realized they had reached Gennai's little cottage. He remembered it as a peaceful, lovely place, all gardens and streams. Now it was barren. The cottage itself had something brownish spattered across the door—blood, he realized dispassionately.

The group all seemed to be staring at the door hesitantly, as if unsure of what to do next. "Well?" TK asked impatiently, pushing to the front. "Here's an idea. Let's go in."

"Wait, TK," Tai said urgently. "We don't know what could be waiting for us in—" He cut off as TK pushed the door open.

Everything happened in an instant. Someone grabbed TK, spinning him around, and the coldness of steel was pressed against his neck. _A knife blade_, he realized dimly. The arm holding him was grimy, and the—person?—smelled of unwashed flesh. The others gave a collective gasp. "TK," Patamon murmured worriedly.

"Don't move, or he dies," a high-pitched female voice said. "What are you doing here? Did you come to kill me and Jenny?"

"N-no," Matt stuttered. "We… were looking. For someone."

The blade pressed closer, enough to draw blood, TK thought. A tremor ran through him, and he realized he was afraid. _Why? You _wanted _to die_. He couldn't find the answer.

"You were looking for me and Jenny!" the girl shrieked, voice growing higher. "You were sent! Well, we are Digidestined! You can't kill us!"

Tai held out his Digivice, and, glancing at him, the others followed his lead. "We are Digidestined as well," he said softly, not seeming perturbed in the least. "We're not going to hurt you."

Slowly, reluctantly, the knife was removed and the girl released him. He turned around, back towards the group, and froze, staring at her.

She looked to be about his age, 15 or so, with disheveled, greasy blonde hair and dirty clothes. Her blue eyes were wide with feverish intensity, a mocking half-grin on her face. She looked positively crazy.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, slipping the knife into her sleeve somehow. "I didn't think there were any left. Just Jenny and me. I'm Adrian," she added as an afterthought. "Come in, come in." She looked at the group expectantly, and slowly they shuffled into the house, glancing about warily.

Following behind them, TK put a hand to his neck and looked at it. There was blood on it. She had nicked him slightly, apparently. Patamon perched on his shoulder silently. The group gathered in a dimly lit bedroom just inside the door, and Adrian cheerfully went over to the bed, where a dead girl lay.

She had glossy brown hair and dark eyes, still open. Her face seemed perfectly normal, as well as her body. She was probably pretty, but it was hard to tell with her neck tilted at such an unnatural angle.

"Jenny, we have visitors," Adrian said warmly, hugging the body. "Look, Jenny. They're Digidestined, like us. They're going to help us make everything better. We're going to get to go home." She stroked the brown hair soothingly. "Everything's going to be fine again."

TK was aghast, to say the least. She had looked less than sane, but this… this was sick. He was dimly aware of Ken retching nearby.

Adrian glanced up with a smile. "Me and Jenny, we're Digidestined from Canada. The others were killed, one by one, until it was just her and me. Now we have to hide here, but we're pretty happy. Yeah."

"Um… Adrian, excuse us for a moment," Matt said graciously, stepping out of the room and motioning for the others to follow. In the hall, TK studied pale, horrified faces. "Guys," Matt said, only slightly more collected than the rest, "We… have to play along."

"Play along?" Davis asked.

"Look, this girl has obviously lost it. She could be dangerous. Best we don't get her angry, right? And she might know something."

TK nodded slowly, then frowned. He was beginning to think like part of the group again. Maybe… maybe there was something he could do, still. For a brief moment he could almost feel the crest of hope well up inside of him.

*****

Yolei tried to avoid looking at the two figures as the Digidestined entered the bedroom again. She felt about ready to join Ken in puking her guts out. _Don't think about puking_, she told herself faintly.

"I'm Matt," the blonde boy announced, proceeding to introduce the others. He hesitated. "Adrian… do you know who Gennai is?"

"Oh, yes," she said, holding the hand of the corpse. "This was his house. He was a very nice man. But they attacked and took him away." She frowned. "Jenny got hurt then, but she is okay. Jenny can't die, you see," she explained. "Because then I would be alone. But I have Jenny, so everything's okay."

"Ah," Matt said awkwardly. "Um. Do… do you know who it was that took him away?"

Adrian grinned. "Of course. It was the new evil lord of the Digital World—" She trailed off, her face contorting with pain. "No," she grunted through clenched teeth. And then, she was ripped apart.

Limbs and head flew in different directions, a spray of blood showering the room. Some spattered onto Yolei's glasses, partially obscuring her view. As she stared in horror at the body parts—and the hand, still holding Jenny's—she fainted.

*****

Kari's face was fixed in a permanent snarl, it seemed to Gatomon. She curled up on her high-backed, throne-like chair, chin resting on knees as if sulking. "Stupid girl," she muttered. "Almost told them who I was."

Gatomon swallowed, remembering the scene anew, then scolded herself for being weak. She had seen it hundreds of times, after all.

"Gatomon," Kari suddenly said, unfurling herself, "I think it's time we started having a little fun." Her scowl turned into a maliciously gleeful grin, not much better. "We are going to weaken their defenses, and their confidence, by splitting them up."

Gatomon frowned. "Oh?"

"Yes. Each with those who are unable to work well together, unable to relate. It should be… amusing." She giggled. "I think I'll put Davis with Joe. They're complete opposites. And perhaps Tai with Cody…"

As Kari relayed her plans, Gatomon couldn't help noticing the maniacal glint her eyes that resembled Adrian's. _This is what's right. I will follow Kari to the death_, she vowed solemnly. _To the very death_.

*****

Ken sat numbly, eyes closed. They had decided to stay in Gennai's house for lack of better shelter for the night. He would rather have tried sleeping naked in a blizzard than stay here, but he felt it would be best to stay with the group.

The Digimon were all grouped together in a room, oddly, instead of their various human partners. Ken supposed they had all grown rather close during what had happened.

Even now, he didn't feel depressed or sorrowful or anything like that. Sick to his stomach at the carnage and its effect on the world, but not sad.

Sam— 

Ken growled audibly and ignored the voice inside of him. Sam was in the past completely, and besides, he had nothing to do with this.

So why do you keep thinking about him? 

Ken sighed and ran a hand through his shoulder-length hair, opening his eyes to gaze hollowly at the nondescript room. At least the house was spacious. He had chosen a room far from the one where… there were two dead bodies…

"Sam!" he howled, hunching over. "Why?! Why did you have to die?!" Sobs wracked his body as he cried with anguish, pounding his fist into the floor. He felt vaguely ashamed at carrying on this way, but that was nothing beside his grief. "Saaaam…."

The Japanese-style door slid open and Yolei, awake now if not looking particularly healthy, stared at him. Ken went on crying, uncaring.

Yolei slowly made her way towards him and knelt beside him, taking him into her arms and cradling him like a baby. He clutched at her, desperately trying to draw comfort while still sobbing.

"Sam, oh Sam…"

"It's okay to grieve, Ken," Yolei murmured, rocking back and forth with him. "You've kept it inside for too long. Let it out."

And Ken let it out.

*****

Kari opened her eyes and stretched languidly, smiling a bleary good morning to Gatomon. The cat Digimon grinned in return.

"Any news of interest?" she asked, stifling a yawn. Gatomon nodded.

"As you know, I was watching them through the night. Apparently the state of the Digiworld is getting to them. Even Ken, who was previously kinda indifferent, broke under the pressure."

Kari's eyes narrowed as her smile grew. "Perfect."


End file.
